In connection with cars of funiculars it is known to design the floor of the passenger cabin in the form of stairsteps. The steps of the stairs are disposed in such a way that the angle enclosed by their treads together with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle approximately correspond to the average inclination angle of the line. This design has the purpose of permitting the passengers to stand on supports which are horizontal or enclose as small an angle as possible with respect to the horizontal line.
A basic disadvantage of this design of the inside of the cabin lies in that the stair steps constitute obstacles for the traffic in the passenger cabin, for example during entering and leaving as well as during movement inside the cabin to accommodate additional persons. These obstacles are hardly visible, particularly when the passenger cabin is full, which causes a danger of tripping or falling which can easily lead to accidents.
If the passenger cabin has been divided into compartments in a known manner and the length of the treads corresponds to the length of the compartments, the stairsteps are no longer obstacles. The individual compartments then have a level floor.
Even when the danger of tripping has been eliminated in the above manner, the known design does not fulfill the requirements made today for the comfort of the passengers. As a rule, it is not possible to maintain the inclination of the line constant and thus to offer a safe and comfortable place to stand for the passengers over the entire length of the line. The subdivision into compartments, the length of which corresponds to that of the stairsteps, also requires, besides the separating walls, a corresponding number of doors and closing mechanisms therefor, which increases the price of the vehicle as well as the cost for maintenance.